


Alchemy Class

by Its_Neko_Time



Series: Alchemy Class [1]
Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Cute, F/F, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Yuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-15
Updated: 2015-10-15
Packaged: 2018-04-26 11:58:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5003956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Its_Neko_Time/pseuds/Its_Neko_Time
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hijinks and more ensue when Alice forces Marisa to teach her about Alchemy. Yuri.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prolouge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long rambling intro text, It was intended as a brief intro to Gensokyo even though I figure only touhou fans will ever read this, haha.

Gensokyo, the land of illusion and fantasy. Aptly named, the land itself is hidden behind a grand illusion deep within the mountains of Japan, where the mundane are kept out, the fantastical is normal, and the passage of time seems frozen in an older era. It is here where the strangest things are drawn: creatures of myth and legend are abundant in this land, even moreso than humans themselves, and the gods still hold great sway and power over all things. For many of the humans, these things are either feared or revered, which gives much of the non-human inhabitants their power and essence.

The mid-afternoon sun hung over the skies of Gensokyo, shining brightly down on the land on a cloudless day, almost perfect if it were not for the somewhat uncomfortable degree of heat. As bright as the sun is, however, there was one place in Gensokyo the light does not dare to shine. Deep within the Forest of Magic, the sun's beams did not reach the wooded floor beneath the dense canopies of trees. The perpetual dusk of the forest bore some of the most inhospitable grounds of Gensokyo. Within here grow dangerous flora, well-adapted to the gloom, twisted trees loom over an abundance of massive fungi and bloodthirsty plants, overgrown and mutated from the strong magic that flows from many leylines that cross through this place, giving the forest its name. These plants constantly spewed spores and poisons, the day's heat only adding to the gloom that choked all but those who have adapted to live here, and could thrive where other life is most unwelcome.

In the deepest reaches of the Forest of Magic, two such people could defy the forest's inhospitability. More than that, they had built homes from the warped wood of the forest, and relied on the abundant magic that flows to advance their trades. One such home was found at the end of a path that gives way to a tiny clearing in the forest's murky depths. It is also the beginning of the path, because the trodden-but-overgrown walkway did not extend in any amount into the forest itself. Because there was no path to it, the house only got visited by those who stumble upon it or those who already knew the way. Despite the fact, the house also doubled as a shop for it's one inhabitant. The "Kirisame Magic Shop" got no customers, although perhaps the secretive owner didn't really mind. Many who might find it would likely turn away at first sight in any case, as the outside of the house was strewn with junk left out in the open, the ground covered in burn marks where dangerous experiments had taken place, which only served to warn of the even more frightening and cluttered interior of house itself. It is here, outside the front door, on the porch, where the two who live here in the forest had gathered. Despite the deadly forest around them, the wondrous land they live in, it was an ordinary day. They were drinking tea.

It was decent tea, Alice thought to herself, looking up at the other who had given the cup to her, giving a slight smile. The girl in question grinned happily in response as she shut the door behind her, sitting down as well and having taken a sip from her own cup. The girl was dressed in what would normally be an almost fairytale outfit of a western witch. She wore a solid black dress reaching down to her knees, which was contrasted by a lining of white frills and a wide white apron tied around her abdomen, as well as a similarly white shirt underneath. Of course what completed the clothes was an oversized pointed witch hat, which was seated snugly over her messy, long blonde hair.

"It's not too bad, Marisa, though I prefer my own." Alice responded more verbally to the black-white witch.  
The grin doesn't fade from Marisa's expression however, and her golden eyes gleamed with mischief. "I guess you can't appreciate a good Japanese tea, what with all those strange foreign ones you like so much." she was quick to retort.

Alice doesn't make a further response, unmoved as she continues drinking the tea, closing her dark blue eyes. Despite living in Japan, Alice sported a much more western style of dress, a long blue piece tied with a red frilled ribbon, her shoulders covered by a white undershirt as well, but topped with a small frilled capelet. On her shorter, more lightly shaded blonde hair, she had a red headband. Though Alice didn't react, a small doll floating next to Alice, clothed with a large ribbon on her head, and similar western dress to Alice, frowned and crossed her arms, apparently unamused. Though Alice herself controlled her doll, with the puppeteer's rings on her fingers, her fingers didn't seem to even twitch while clasped around the tea glass, as her doll conveyed the feeling.

The silence continued for another few seconds as they drink, but Marisa continued, noting, "The cauldrons should be cooled down soon, after that we can test what we've made." Her grin also continued, and she looked happy. "Exciting stuff to learn, right?"

"An interesting change of pace, for sure." Alice agreed, nodding. It was hard to forget the reason she was here in the first place, although the tea was certainly a good distraction from it, since they weren't inside fussing over the large pots. Apparently the potions they were trying to make - a potion that cleared your mind, according to Marisa - took a very long time to cool, which is why the witch had invited Alice to sit outside while she made tea for them. Though it was rather warm outside, the boiling cauldrons made it even warmer inside, so it was a nice break. It had certainly been a learning experience, the last few weeks, though...


	2. Earlier That Month - Pulling Some Strings

It had been another day quite like this one, although not quite as hot, just after the noon sun had reached its apex in the sky, that Alice had decided to visit the black-white witch's house, emerging into the small, cluttered clearing through the forest gloom. Alice herself lived quite near to the witch, considering how large this forest was, and that the proximity had been unintentional. Users of magic were typically solitary people, content to work on their studies alone and far from others, but Marisa and Alice were almost like neighbors, in a sense. From one's discovery where the other lived, it was not long before visits were fairly frequent between the two. Not to say they got along well, the key differences in style and personality often butted heads. Alice was collected, neat, and organized, preferring to stay indoors most of the day and do her work in peace. Marisa, on the opposite hand, loved to go outdoors, collecting the strange mushrooms mutated from absorbing the forest's magic, and doing all sorts of strange, loud experiments with them. Her home was a pigsty, though Marisa seemed to have a method to her disorganized madness, according to her.

However, Marisa had not bothered Alice in quite some time, which was strange considering how often the witch preferred to barge in uninvited and disrupt Alice's work. There hadn't been any incidents, nor any boasting of big projects to take up her time. Marisa had an uncanny ability to survive even the most dangerous stunts, so that wouldn't be an issue. As Alice approached the house, she looked over the doll floating over her shoulder, asking it, "Hm, I wonder what Marisa has been up to?". Of course, not knowing any more than Alice did, the doll seemed to shrug, prompting a small sigh from Alice, who looks back towards the house.

Alice stopped at the door, extending her hand to give it a few raps, but paused just as she was about to do it, hesitating before thinking of something that made her smile, and stifling a giggle. "Marisa would never knock, would she? Perhaps I should see if she appreciates the same kind of unannounced entry?" she quietly asks herself, before raising her up her boot, and giving the door a single solid, hard kick, more than enough to force it open.

\--  
Marisa sat at her table, surrounded by piles of 'borrowed' books, baskets full of magical mushrooms, strange magic artifacts, and bottles of dubious liquids and powders. They were all a testament to her forays into magic as well as frequent trips to the homes of others. She was often coming back from those trips with more than when she left. She stared at a doll floating in front of her. Deep in concentration, she tried to wiggle her fingers over it in a way that the magic strings connected to them would make the doll swing its tiny sword. It wasn't working well. Ugh, Alice made it look so ea-

The thought is interrupted when her front door suddenly slammed open, and her house creaked in protest. A great many bottles which had been strewn about begin to rattle, and a book fell off a pile. The doll in Marisa's hand immediately slumped face-first onto the table.

"EH?" Marisa yelled, shocked and surprised her eyes flicked to the sight of Alice barging into her home. As much as she loved to force her way in, it wasn't often someone did the same to her. "W-what, it's Alice?!"

With the hard thud of her boots tromping through the doorway, Alice asked loudly, "Marisa! What have you been up to all this time?" as she scanned the cluttered house, and Marisa herself. She didn't even give Marisa time to think of a reply when she noticed that Marisa was playing with one of her dolls. "Hey! That's one of my dolls! What on Earth are you doing that?" she demanded, both her and the doll next to her crossing their arms and giving a deadly glare.

Caught red handed, Marisa babbled as she tried to think of a way out of the situation. "I... eh... wasn't doing... anything..!" she said, flustered as she gently tried to slide the doll out of view. it's not... uh.... what it looks like!" She tried to force a smile, but it was replaced again by an uneasy look if dismay as she watched Alice reach out her hand, before she suddenly felt a chilly pressure on her neck - from the sword of the doll she was just handling. She gulped audibly.

"You know better that you can't fool me, Marisa, much less anyone else." Alice hissed coldly, already having regained control of the other doll. "What were you trying to do with it?"

Marisa sat frozen as Alice stared her down, and she broke into a cold sweat. She tried to speak up a number of times before stopping herself, unable to find a way to escape her current situation without spoiling her plans. Finally, though, she began to spill the beans. Putting her hands up in surrender, she relented, "I was... trying to... practice doing doll control magic like you do."

Alice didn't seem impressed. Marisa tried to make another uneasy smile, but her eyes go wide as she felt the blade pressing harder against her jugular. "I was trying to impress you!" she yelped. More panic set in as the little weapon pushed even more into her throat. "I'M BEING HONEST, I SWEAR!" she yelled, while shaking her hands to stop.

Alice continued her icy stare for a few seconds more, before sighing grumpily and recalling the doll. Marisa gave a loud gasp of relief as she felt the pressure on her neck fade. Quietly, she watched the doll join Alice at her side with the other, before letting her head and arms drop onto the table with a 'thunk', defeated.

"Hmph, always the bothersome thief, you are." Alice barked, crossing her arms again. "Not only my doll this time, but you're trying to steal my magic too." she continued, lecturing the witch now. "Just to impress me? You're a fool, you didn't think that'd just seem like an insult?" she asked, her tone scathing.

Marisa groans in response. She couldn't think of a response for that, not that she would be able to get a word in edgewise anyway.

"Besides, you're already impressive enough with your lasers and such, you don't need to copy me to do that." Alice continued further, adding a "Hmph!" and turning her nose up, and her head away. Actually, admitting that was a little embarrassing, and she didn't want to blush and give it away... but she hesitated slightly. What to do now?

Marisa poked her head up a little from the table to try and look at Alice, but quickly ducked again as Alice's gaze swiftly met the witch's eyes and she began to glare again. After another moment however, eventually she gave up and sighed. "What am I going to do with you? You're not the type to give up, I'll leave and you'll just be at it again, won't you?" she asked, getting a cringe in response from Marisa this time. That was so typical of her, how persistent she was. She needed to think of something to turn the tables... hmm... Ah, she had just the idea!  
A smile crept up onto her face, as Alice announced, "Well, if that's how it's going to be, I'll just have to force you to teach me something in return!" Alice grinned.

Confused, but slightly less intimidated, she poked her head up again, asking, "W-what? what magic could I possibly have that'd be of use to you?"

"Hmmm..." Alice thought, losing her grin a little as she puts her hand to her chin. "Good question... light and heat magic would work, but that's too easy, and I can't exactly get a mini-hakkero of my own..." she said, eyes darting to the magic artifact lying on the table.

Marisa was quick to pick up on the gaze, quickly grabbing the coveted tool in a moment of panic, and lifted herself up from the table. She got defensive as her mettle suddenly returned. "No way, not over my dead body! I'll haunt you, if you even have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands."

Alice frowned, moaning in annoyance as she put her hands on her hips. "Relax, I don't even want it. Unlike you, I don't stoop to the level of a common thief." she retorted. "Anyway, you're going to teach me alchemy instead. I'll find some decent use out of it eventually, I guess."

Marisa was taken a bit aback, not expecting something like that. "Alchemy? You?" she asked, confused. "Ya' know you'll have to join me out in the woods, collectin' mushrooms, fussing over smelly brews, all sorts of stuff I know you hate."

Alice frowned again, the thought not having crossed her mind, but she quickly waved it off. "Pah, I'll just have to get used to it. And once I do, I won't have to hold my nose any more when I decide to visit your dirty, smelly house." Alice concluded.

Urk! Marisa took a step back, Alice's words piercing Marisa like her dolls' little spears, though she swiftly recovered. "If that's going to be the case, when do you want to start?"

Alice was quick to answer, "Tomorrow, of course. I'll walk over at the crack of dawn." she said, pointing and glaring. "And I expect you to be awake and ready."

Marisa balked but knew there's not much she can do to change Alice's mind. "Urgh, that's so early..." she replied, upset. Wanting to avoid another glare, however, she quickly found herself forced to agree. "Well, I guess I'll live..." she said glumly, frowning.

"Alright,. I'll see you in the morning." Alice bid with a smile, taking her leave. She turned around and stepped out the door, an air of triumph over her as she began to walk home. A win-win for her, and she'd get to spend more time with Marisa, too!

Marisa cautiously peeked out a window as she watched Alice leave the clearing back towards her house. "I guess that went better than expected." she thought aloud. "More time with Alice, that's not bad at all..."  
Marisa waited until Alice was completely out of sight and back into the gloom of the forest. She then waited three minutes more, just to make sure Alice wasn't going to come back. Assured she was no longer going to get any surprise visits, she meandered over towards one of her disorganized piles, fishing out another one of Alice's dolls from deep within. Time to get back to where she left off...


	3. A Week Later - Mushroom Hunt

The sun had barely even been inching over the horizon as Alice made her way to the witch's house once more. Of course, the Forest of Magic looked just about the same regardless of the time of day, but that wasn't important. She'd visited Marisa every day to learn how the witch went about her daily life and research into alchemy. Though she had to admit, it wasn't very much her cup of tea, mucking about in the forest, getting her clothes dirty to pick plants, getting her clothes more dirty dealing with messy pots of bubbling potions, and the smell... yuck! It might not be worth the trouble and toil if not to have Marisa pay her back for her somewhat insulting spell thievery, doll thievery, and she could bet she was missing a few books, too...

"Hmph, what a piece of work." she thought aloud, annoyed at the thought of the witch's antics. The doll flitting nearby turned its head, looking curious as it pointed at itself, seemingly asking, "You mean me?"  
Alice softened her expression when she notices, looking up at the doll and smiling. "Oh, Shanghai, not you. You're a piece of work in the much nicer sense, my best work to date!" She patted the doll on its head, as it placed its hands on its cheeks in apparent embarrassment.

Alice continued to think about her last week. "I have to admit, though, Marisa does make it more fun than it seems. She's a surprisingly good teacher." Alice continued to herself. "Hmm, maybe she has some good qualities after all." she said with a sigh.

Soon enough, she reached the witch's home, and gave a knock on the door. However, an answer never came. "That's strange..." she pondered, letting herself in to see what's inside.

A moan could be heard from within the darkened home, the windows obscured by Marisa's piles of junk, as faint light streams in from the opened door. Alice found Marisa at the table, asleep on her arms and surrounded by a bunch of complicated chemistry equipment, the contents now cold and settled.

With an annoyed sigh, she directed Shanghai over to the sleepy witch, who promptly began to smack the witch in the back of the head with the flat of her lance. "Wake up, Marisa, it's morning." Alice chided.

"Ow, ow, ouch!" Marisa groaned as she tried to shove the doll away, groggily lifting her head up to meet Alice. "Uguuuuhhh... can't you come later in the day? I'm still human, I still need to sleep, ya' know."

Alice shook her head disapprovingly. "And you're saying you can't use the night for that?"

Marisa stared grumpily at Alice. "Since a certain magician takes up so much of my day time, I gotta stay up late for my actual research." she complained.

"Hmph, serves you right, it's your own fault for crossing the line." Alice huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm sure a little lost sleep is worth some time with me. But in any case, what are we doing today?"

Marisa yawned, ignoring most of the banter and looking around her house to see what supplies she had. It seemed she was quite short on a lot of them. "Hmmm, I guess we'll have to go out and collect some more stuff from the forest, first." Marisa dully noted.

"What? More!?" Alice exclaimed, looking flabbergasted. "We just went out and did that yesterday. How can it all be gone?" She didn't want to have to go trudge around in the forest again picking a bunch of fungi. As enlightening as it was to learn what was what, she'd rather spend more time learning how to actually make stuff with the toadstools.

"Well, I used most of it for my research, obviously. You gotta remember I do alchemy to study magic, too." Marisa deadpanned, too tired for her usual mischievous demeanor.

Alice puffed her cheeks and glared with annoyance. "I didn't go out and do all that work for your own selfish purposes. There was plenty of stuff left when we got done with your teaching yesterday."

Was that so? Marisa's eyes flashed to life as she sat up properly, giving her trademark grin. "Yer right, you didn't go do anything for me to selfishly take advantage of. We used all the stuff you collected yesterday, because ya barely found anything on your own." Marisa retorted, "You wouldn't be able to tell a mushroom from a toad if I weren't with you to point out the difference, ze."

Alice was fuming now, folding her arms. She had been totally put off by that last insult. To compliment her, Shanghai waved her arms angrily. "HMPH! Well then!" she huffed. "Let's not waste any more time to find more! Get up and get moving while it's still early!" she demanded, having heard enough of Marisa's smart mouth.

"Fine, fine. I'm going." she said, waving it off and smirking as she pulled herself out of the chair to her feet. She grabbed her broom and headed for the door. Alice followed suit, turning her nose up and briskly heading outside. For the black-white witch, today might be fun after all, heh heh.

\---------

It had been a couple hours, but Alice still hadn't shrugged off the insult from when they left. She looked down at her basket (as well as Shanghai's tiny one), and at Marisa's, as they crept through the magic forest. Begrudgingly, the witch had been rather right. Marisa had collected many more than she had managed to find thus far. but that didn't make her feel any less annoyed about it.

Marisa looked over as they float around, looking for more flora, to check up on how Alice was doing. She quickly noticed the sour look on the puppeteer's face. "Are you really still rotten over this mornin'?" she asked, trying (but failing) to hide a smile. The thought she was still mad was a little amusing to her. "Geez, lighten up a little, the fun of the search is enjoying the outdoors, and makin' awesome finds." she tried to cheer Alice up, waving her hand at the surrounding forest. "You'll get better at it, if you wanna keep it up, the forest is full of surprises."

Alice sighed, her spirits deflated. Marisa was right, she shouldn't expect to be an expert in a week, Marisa had been doing this for years, she'd know all the good spots to find useful plants.  
Though, maybe she'd find more if she didn't stick so close to the witch, who would naturally easily find anything nearby. "I'm going to go look over there." Alice pointed, in a different direction. "We'll find more if we split up."

Marisa shrugged. "Fine with me, just don't get lost or into trouble." she said nonchalantly, directing a conjured beam of light into a small, root-covered hole. Aha! Another good find!

Alice huffed again, blowing the warning off. She'd lived here longer than Marisa likely had, nothing in the forest was going to be a problem for her. She floated off into the forest, going to search for her own mushrooms and herbs.

\---

She still wasn't having much luck alone. Slightly better than with Marisa finding all the good spots first, but she had trouble finding the good spots herself. Sending Shanghai with a ball of light into nooks and crannies to look, she continued to search around in the murky forest to little avail.

"I wonder if I just chose a bad spot to search..." Alice muttered to herself, sending Shanghai into another alcove, only for her to come back with her shoulders drooped, shaking her head.

She sighed. "I'm sure Marisa is still finding all sorts of things." she went farther, looking around, flicking her eyes about in her search. Wait, had something just moved over there? Shanghai moved over to shine her light on the spot, but found nothing. She shrugged it off and kept looking.

No wait, she had seen something else moving, she had been sure of it this time! "There." she commanded. Shanghai waved the light all about, through the tree branches, her light barely penetrating the dark gloom. Still, she found nothing! Had her mind been playing tricks on her? "Ugh, I must be imagining things. This fruitless search just makes me want to go home." she pouted, crossing her arms. and looking about in frustration. "I should have just stuck with Marisa."

It was at that moment, a twinkle in the darkness had caught her eye. What was that? Shanghai shined her light in that direction as she began floating over towards it. Lighting up the hidden aclove, she saw a large brown mushroom, sparkling with what was likely to be some strong magic. Alice grinned. Finally, something good! Maybe even great! She'd never seen a mushroom like this before, if she showed it off to Marisa, she'd make the witch praise her for sure, maybe she'd even beg to use it herself for her research. She almost chuckled with confidence at the thoughts of what she could get from Marisa in return, as she kneels down and reached to pick the fungus up.

But as her hand touched the base of the mushroom, the cap fell off with a 'thunk', revealing a smooth inside. Was that just... a bowl? "Huh?" she asked herself.

Suddenly, from all over the ground, vines erupted from the forest floor, flung Alice up and smacked her against a tree. The vines quickly wound around and pinned her to the trunk. The breath was knocked out of her as she coughed and sputtered, and another large vine is thrust into her face. It blocked her mouth, and muffled her voice before she had the chance to yell out. Her eyes darted in panic as she looked for the attacker, and widened in surprise as a large group of fairies flew out of hiding from behind the trees and branches.

The fairies looked enthusiastic at their catch, whooping. "We did it!" "We caught the witch!" "We got her!" "Yay!" they cheered. dancing around the tree and jeering at Alice.

Though after a second, one asked, "Wait, I thought the witch wore black and white." and soon they began to argue over it.  
"Shouldn't her hair be longer?"  
"Maybe she's just wearing a different dress, and cut her hair!"  
"Where's her broom?"  
"Is it really the witch?"  
"It has to be, who else would come out here?"

Alice's surprise slowly faded to annoyance as they bickered. Fairies were normally incredibly stupid, it was almost insulting they could pull off a trap that elaborate and than still fail to recognize they didn't even have the right magician. She had to get out of this, somehow. She couldn't cast spells with her mouth blocked, but she could still move her hands and control her doll...

Shanghai took out her lance, and charged into the group, impaling one of the fairies as it burst into a pile of flower petals. Suddenly, the fairies scrambled and scattered as they realized who they'd caught.

"It's the other magician!"  
"The girl with the dolls!"  
"She's making the puppet attack!"  
"Tie her hands! Tie her hands!"  
"The doll is attacking! Get it! Get it!"

The fairies grabbed another vine and tried to dodge Shanghai's attacks, who still skewered a couple other fairies as they tried to stop Alice from controlling the doll. The puppeteer even managed to grab one of the fairies with her hand and squeezed it until it popped into maple tree seeds, spinning out in all directions. After some surprising amount of teamwork, however, they bound Alice's hands and pinned them further to the tree, cutting off her ability to control the doll. As Shanghai slowly stopped moving, they dogpiled the doll, tying it up and disarming it for good measure. They breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"That was close!"  
"We managed to stop the attack!"  
"Now what should we do?"  
"We can't let her go, she'll just beat us up!"  
"It's not the witch, we want to mess with the witch!"

Alice struggled in her binds, to no avail, as they continue to debate over what to do with Alice. Eventually, they got an idea.

"Let's use her as bait!"  
"Make the witch beg!"  
"Sell the magician!"  
"Payback for beating us up!"  
"Make her grovel! Make her pay!"

Alice tried to yell threats and warnings as she struggled in her binds, but they all come out muffled and incomprehensible behind the vine gag. Stupid fairies! Ugh!

\------

Marisa climbed back on her broom after finding another useful patch of mushrooms. Her basket was almost full, and it was time to go home soon. She wondered if Alice had as much luck as she had gotten with her search. She'd managed to find quite a bit today, more than the usual, even.  
"Hmm, I haven't seen Alice in quite awhile..." she wondered aloud. Alice was more than capable of handling herself, though. She couldn't have gone too far...

Marisa started to fly in the direction Alice went, looking around. After a couple minutes of searching, though, she doesn't seem to be nearby. Did she give up and go home? Heh, she'd tease Alice for hours if that was the case. Still, though... "ALICE!" she called out, hoping the magician was still near enough to respond.

...After a few seconds, another voice called back, "Dumb witch!"

"Eh?" Marisa noted in dull surprise, creasing one side of her mouth into a frown. That didn't sound like Alice...

Another few seconds and another voice hollered back, followed by more.  
"Dimwit!"  
"Ghoulstink!"  
"Trashheap!"  
"Conehead!"

Well, that gave it away for sure, it was the local fairy brigade. They caused trouble often for the witch when she was collecting mushrooms in the forest, although 'trouble' was hardly that. They were bumbling idiots who would always set up really obvious traps, or just tried to insult the witch and get away with it. They always failed, however, and got blasted to smithereens. Still, though, it seemed they never learned their lesson. Marisa grinned. It seems they needed another one. She flew off in the direction of the voices, eager to blast them.

Marisa floated into the small alcove, keeping her eyes peeled for the little buggers, but she gasped as she stumbled upon Alice, tied up. "Alice! What happened?" she asked, voice filled with concern.

Alice struggled more at the sight of Marisa, muffling words in a demanding tone, but as incomprehensible with the gag.

Before Marisa could move closer, however, the fairies once again appeared from the woodwork, jeering and taunting once more, prancing about in front of Alice. One held the disarmed Shanghai, while another held the tiny lance.  
"The witch came! The witch came!"  
"The bait worked! We win!"  
"We caught her girlfriend and now she'll pay!"  
"Conehead!"

Alice muffled even louder noises, her face blushing slightly at the mention of the word 'girlfriend'. Somehow, she managed to still smack one of the fairies with her boot.

"Wait..." Marisa started, as her face went from astonishment to a slow but evil grin. "...You got caught by... fairies?" she asked, barely containing laughter as she bent over slightly while clutching her chest. "But... tch pfft, ha ha, the traps are so easy to spot! Did you fall for the bowl-on-a-stick one or something? Pfffhahahaha!" she laughed, doubling over.

Alice seemed pretty angry, but at this point her muffled yelling almost seemed comprehensible enough to make out the demand, "If you don't get me out of here right now, I'll...!"

The fairies began making their demands. One of them even poked at Alice's shoulder with the tiny lance, as if doing so could possibly kill her.  
"Who's the stupid one now?"  
"Get on your knees and beg for your girlfriend!"  
"You'll never see her again if you don't comply!"  
"Pay us back for beating us up!"  
"Pay the ransom! Pay the ransom!"  
"She's dead if you refuse!"

Marisa looked back up, wiping a tear from her eye after all the giggling, before taking the situation a little more seriously. "Yeah, yeah, I'll give you a ransom," she said, pulling out her mini-hakkero.

Alice watched unamusedly as Marisa looked like she was going to delete the fairies with her spells, but the uncaring expression quickly became horrified as she slowly watched the witch aim her mini-hakkero at the fairy holding her most prized doll. NO! Anything but that! From her gag, she let out a scream, thrashing against the tree.

"What?!" Marisa looked over in surprise, the screaming magician giving her pause. The fairies scattered at the sight of the mini-hakkero, hiding behind the tree Alice was tied to. Her eye caught the doll before it vanished behind the tree, she'd almost mistook it for another fairy. Oh, that was it. "How do ya' expect me to get you out without just blastin' them?" Marisa huffed, shaking her head.

She sat and thought for a moment, ignoring Alice and the fairies poking their heads from behind the tree, who made faces at the witch. Soon, she got an idea. With a sigh and a shrug, she put her mini-hakkero away, announcing, "Alright, alright, you win. Come back out."

Cautiously, the fairies returned from their hiding spot, confused. Even Alice doesn't seem to understand.  
"Wait, we won?"  
"We beat the witch?"  
"What did we win exactly?"  
"That was easy!"

Marisa presented her large basket filled to the brim with herbs, and dug out a handful of mushrooms with round, pale blue caps. "I guess I'm going to have to give up these mushrooms for certain." she said, scattering them on the ground in front of them. "It's too bad, if I don't eat them, I won't have nearly a quarter of the power I normally have when fighting youkai." she confessed, trying to sound glum. Marisa was a terrible liar, but it seemed the fairies believed her anyway. They quickly got excited as they began to grab up the mushrooms and began to quickly eat them.  
"We did it! We won!"  
"With these we can beat you up!"  
"Prepare for payback, witch!"  
"You won't be able to beat us now!"  
"The end is near!"

Marisa rolled her eyes, just standing there and waiting for them to finish. Alice followed suit, still tied up, but having easily caught on that Marisa was making a transparent ploy.  
The effects of the mushrooms began to take hold swiftly, as the boastful fairies started to waver in the air, still yelling threats and challenges, some even coming right up to the magician to try and punch her halfheartedly.  
"Now you'll see whos... the.... butter... foe..."  
"Prepare... for... defeet...!"  
"So... tired... so... strong..."  
"We can... do it...!"  
"Cone...head...."  
One by one, the fairies dropped from the air, smacking against the ground as they all fell asleep.

Marisa shook her head in disappointment, before bending down to pick up Shanghai. She looked back up at Alice. "It never ceases to amaze me how stupid they are."

Alice just stared back. At this point she had given up at this point at getting out herself, and had given up on being demanding. She looked defeated.

For a minute, Marisa just looked at Alice, as a smirk crept up onto her face. "...Girlfriend, hmm?"

Alice blushed again, but returned a stare so icy it could probably freeze the sun.

Marisa let it sink in, before sighing again. "Alright, let's get you free and go back to my place, we've had enough excitement for one day. I'll even throw in a homecooked meal for the trouble, ze." Marisa said as she went around to the other side of the tree to go untie the knots.

Alice felt a little worn out from all the pointless writhing in her binds, as well as from the tiring search around the forest for mushrooms and herbs, and wanted to go back to her home. But... she guessed a little more time with Marisa couldn't hurt. The black-white had just saved her, after all...


	4. Advanced Alchemy Lessons

"I gave you tea so that you'd stick around and talk, not so you'd fall asleep." Marisa chided, poking Alice in the cheek.

Hm? Alice flinched away, startled as she snapped out of her train of thought. "Oh, sorry. I guess I got lost in thought remembering something." Alice apologized, now recalling what she'd just been doing. Sitting out on the porch with Marisa, waiting for their concoctions to cool off. How long had she spaced out? It must have been some time if Marisa had thought she had been asleep. "If you wanted to talk, why didn't you get my attention sooner?" she inquired.

Marisa looked up in thought, replying, "Hmmm... I could have, but you looked so cute just sitting there I couldn't help but stare." she replied, with a grin.

Alice blushed and frowned with annoyance, stammering, "Why you...!" She crossed her arms, huffing. "Sometimes I don't know how I manage to put up with you."

"Well, maybe it's because-" Marisa began to retort, but suddenly stopped and looked briefly alarmed, employing an obviously fake cough. "Er, well, if you're getting so lost in thought, testing out the potion you just made will probably do the trick, considering what it's supposed to do." she offered, recovering.

Hmm? What did she stop herself from saying? Knowing Marisa, it was probably some other attempt to harass her, but it was strange she hadn't gone through with it. Did she think she was going over the line that time? It probably wasn't worth thinking over, trying to deduce what went on in the witch's head was an exercise in futility. Perhaps clearing her head with a dose of that potion wasn't such a bad idea after all.  
"Hm, you're probably right." Alice agreed. "I take it it's done cooling off, then?"

Marisa nodded, confirming it. "Yep, all ready to test out, let's hope for your sake it came out okay." Marisa said with a chuckle, opening the door and heading inside.

The smell of the brew within was sickeningly sweet as it wafted out from the doorway, no doubt a product of the ingredients. Naturally, it was chock full of the usual kind of herbs, mushrooms, and other odd things. The last ingredient had been one she hadn't expected for a potion like this - a drop of her own blood - but Marisa had insisted it was because 'each batch of potion only worked on the person who brewed it'.

Alice tried hard to ignore the smell as she set down her teacup and went inside, eyeing the two identical cauldrons on the table. Hers was... the left one, right? Yes, of course it was, she had a better memory than to forget that. Marisa had helpfully already laid out a small wooden bowl next to their pots, the ladle for each already in the pot for when they had mixed it prior. She sat down next to Marisa with her cauldron, testing the heat of the metal with careful investigation. It was still warm to the touch, though thankfully the house hadn't been as stuffy as when they had left it. She nodded to Marisa.

"Well, if you're ready to try it, then drink some already, before you zone out again." Marisa teased, pouring a large scoop of the pink, gloopy liquid from her cauldron into her bowl. "Bottoms up!" she cheered, as she began to drink it down.

Alice frowned at the comment, but soon followed suit using the cauldron she'd prepared, recoiling at the revolting taste. Granted, all the potions she had tried had tasted equally awful, and she didn't understand who would want to have to endure these awful things, even with the useful effects they often came with, Still, she manages to choke it down, sticking her tongue out with an 'Egh!' and wincing for a few seconds. She quickly regained her composure. "So, how long before it takes effect?" she asked, looking back at Marisa.

"It shouldn't be too long. Just relax and you'll feel it working soon." Marisa replied, giving a light smile. She seemed awfully happy about this now, despite the complaints when they had started earlier that month about how she'd never get any sleep or get her research done. Maybe she'd just gotten to enjoy the time together. Alice herself had been getting along better with Marisa since then as well, so that was a good possibility...

It was strange... something about the black-white witch just seemed fascinating today, Alice couldn't pick out what it was, studying her and trying to figure it out. Perhaps just the way she behaved. Marisa always had a sort of cocky, yet confident attitude about her. She never ran short of self-serving boasting for herself. At the same time, she always seemed to be harassing everyone, especially her, yet always seemed to be careful not to say anything too out of line. She always seemed just a little bit concerned for her welfare in spite of the attitude. It was sort of endearing in a way.  
Hm, but that didn't seem to be what was grabbing her attention right then. She couldn't place her finger on it. Maybe it was her hair? Somethng about it felt mysterious. It was a constant mangled nest, so tangled an animal could probably live in there. In fact, something probably did, she was sure of it.  
No... maybe it was just the smile Marisa had been giving her today? The witch had been just staring back, and smiling. It just seemed so charming... her lips looked so soft, she could reach out and touch them....

Wait, huh? What was she thinking? Alice took a deep breath, and tried to relax again. Was it this stuffy in here before? It again felt like how it had been when the cauldrons were boiling, but they were still just lukewarm... She tried to focus on something other than Marisa, but her eyes are drawn right back to the witch, her smile, her dress. Her breath became shorter, quicker, her heart began to race. What was going on?

Marisa chuckled to herself, her voice dripping, "It looks like the effects are working~". She too began to pant, her cheeks getting red from the heat.

"W-what?" Alice stammered, confused. She could not stop blushing at the sight of Marisa. "This isn't at all what it's supposed to do!"

Marisa nodded, breaths becoming more shallow. "Haah, I'm sorry, but... I lied. You've been playing so.... ahhh... hard to get, so I had us craft a potion that makes whoever... mmm... drinks it fall for the person who made it, then, I... ahhh... switched the pots while making the tea..." she explained, fidgeting in her chair, having trouble staying in her seat.

"That's... you're.... awful...." Alice replied, trying to get angry, but unable to find the feeling. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Marisa, she couldn't stop thinking about her. She wanted more of the witch, more than to just to look at her, she wanted to be with her, feel her... She couldn't endure it much longer. She had a burning desire for Marisa Kirisame. "But I think... I can forgive it... just this... once...." she admitted, breathing ragged. Leaning closer, ready to burst... She couldn't take it any more!

\----

Alice jumped into Marisa's lap, wrapping her arms around the other as the two immediately locked their lips in a deep, passionate kiss. Their tongues danced as they savored the taste of the other, with hot, uncontrolled breaths mixing between them. Saliva quickly began to dribble from their mouths, and both magicians blushed hotly in each others arms as they finally had the chance to embrace.

They held each other tighter, their chests pressing together. Marisa shifted up and down, rubbing herself against Alice as they continued to swirl their tongues together with deep passion. She could feel herself getting heavily aroused now. Marisa had contained these feelings long before she had drank the potion. Now she finally had the puppeteer in her arms, but she wanted more then that, she wanted to feel all of Alice, to see past her clothes, to see her beautiful curves, to ravish the other magician.

Marisa finally broke the kiss, panting heavily, their tongues still hanging out. A large band of saliva still connected the two. "Alice... more.... let's do it."

Alice looked back, struggling to think. Did she really want to go that far? It was hard not to say yes like this, as her mind was filled only with thoughts of Marisa, and her passion was not sated, and was even growing more. "Yes...! Lets... together!" Alice agreed.

They kissed each other yet again, finding it hard to keep separated as their passion overflows. Marisa embraced Alice tightly and stood up, lifting the other magician wrapped around her as she did so. She gently knelt down and set Alice under her onto the hard wooden floor, lying on top of her while still engaged in the kiss. She moved her legs to straddle over the puppeteer better, and gently pulled her hands back from behind the other.  
Without looking down, Marisa felt along Alice's blue dress, undoing the hooks that kept it together, and working her way up. With the last hook undone, she pulled it down, revealing the undershirt beneath. This one was quickly undone as well, lifted up onto the puppeteer's arms -too wrapped around the witch to fully remove the shirt - and finally revealing the curvy girl beneath the clothing.

Marisa broke the kiss once more to get a good look at what she had revealed. "Alice... you're so pretty underneath..." she remarked, leaning into the kiss yet again.

Alice shivered as she felt Marisa's firm, rough hands press against her breasts, cupping them, grabbing them, and squeezing. "So soft, too..." the witch remarked. Though she felt her skin getting exposed to the musty air around them, she still felt hot, like she burning up, as if she had a fever. Marisa's hands were warm as well, though not very delicate. The witch had begun to slowly knead and press her breasts, rubbing against and groping the soft mounds with enthusiasm. It felt strange, but pleasurable, and Alice blushed even harder as Marisa had begun to play with her.

"Ah, Marisa...." Alice moaned, as the witch slowly began to grope her less roughly, while using different techniques to massage her breasts now, rubbing her palms against them up and down, then cupping them and pushing them together while rubbing against Alice's nipples with her thumbs. Alice panted hotly at the pleasure, the effects of the potion amplifying it even more. Marisa began to move faster, pressing down hard on Alice's nipples as she squirmed under her, unrelenting as she kissed Alice deeply.

Alice finally gave in, crying, "Marisa, too good!". She shivered, recoiling as she was flooded with a hot, electric feeling. She pulled back her head as she took several deep breaths, bouncing back from the sudden shock. She could feel her panties under her skirt begin to get wet as she cooled off, looking at her partner as her senses finally returned.

Marisa sat up, smirking. "Mmm, that was easy..." she slyly noted, looking down into Alice's gleaming blue eyes.

Alice frowned, the most she could think to react in her current state of mind, as her passion began to ignite again. Gulping audibly, she started to pant more, telling the witch, "Marisa... I want to feel you too..."

Marisa nodded, moving her hands onto the floor as she bent her head down to watch the other magician make her move. With the room to work now open, Alice began to unbutton Marisa's dress, working more quickly than the witch had with her, using practiced fingers to easily undo her top. Marisa briefly stopped to shuck it off of her arms and onto one of the piles of books nearby, before Alice then unlocked the buttons on her undershirt. Finally, the shirt was fully unbuttoned, dropping open and showing Marisa's petite, leaner figure. Her skin seemed to be glowing under the light of sunshine streaming through a dusty window. 'She's so cute under that tough exterior', Alice thought to herself as she eyed over the witch. She smiled softly as she tilted her head up into continuing their kiss, and she began her attack on Marisa.

Her softer, smaller hands curved up onto Marisa's breasts now, brushing against the skin as she gently rubbed against them. The gentle sensations were attractive; it felt tantalizing as Alice slowly moved her hands around them, delicately. She measured them with her hands, never squeezing them hard, testing the texture with only a soft grip. She continued to rub lightly against Marisa's breasts for another minute, before teasingly pulling away. Marisa started to whine in protest, but stopped as she felt Alice's hands touching her shoulders now, then feeling her give them a stronger rub, soothing her muscles, and working out the knots and stress. Marisa moaned deeply as she felt herself melt into Alice's hands, having trouble supporting her arms keeping her up, with the relaxation pouring over her.  
Just as Marisa thought her arms were about to give out, however, Alice stopped, guiding her hands below Marisa's shoulders, and under her arms. Slowly, Alice touched her way down Marisa's sides, mapping out every curve and bump, running them all the way down to Marisa's thighs, and rubbing them for a few seconds, before advancing to her real targets.

Marisa's eyes widen as Alice moved her hands to more obvious locations now, one hand sliding back up to wrap silky fingers around one breast, the other moving onto her belly, before sliding beneath her dress and under her thigh. She flinched as she felt a hand slide over her flower, new sensations passing over her for the first time. They both looked at each other and blushed intensely. Marisa purred, "Ah, that's my-...!" before flinching again at more movement down there.  
Alice began to use her hands more boldly, twisting one of Marisa's nipples as she rubbed her flower with more intent, causing Marisa to gasp and cry out at the different sensations. Her hands worked with precision now as if knowing exactly what buttons to press on Marisa to garner different reactions. Marisa could feel herself climb quickly as her nipples were tweaked, and as her petals were rubbed, her buzzer was pushed. Soon, just as fast as she had pushed Alice to climax, she was reaching it too. "I'm... close!" she called out, huffing and red-hot, pressing her face farther into Alice's.

Just as she was about to burst, however, she felt Alice's hands move a different way, changing her patterns, and switching her movements. Her pleasure was so close to a peak, but release was just out of reach, as Alice moved her hands along her inner thigh, and on her breasts. Marisa felt like Alice was directing her pleasures, controlling her like she would a doll. She was losing her mind! "Ah! You're too much! I'm going crazy! I want to come!" she begged.  
On command, Alice thrust her fingers into Marisa's flower, finding her most sensitive spots and vigorously stimulating them, while rubbing Marisa's clit with her thumb. Marisa climaxed hard with the sudden final blow, clamping down hard on Alice's fingers, and soaking her hand with fluid as she screamed in ecstasy, barely able to endure the resulting crash. She crumpled to the side into one of the adjacent piles of magical trinkets, causing it to rattle, and nearly knocking it over. She gasped for air as Alice retracted her hand from her skirt, both the skirt and her hand drenched in liquid.

Exhausted from being thrown into the throes of pleasure, Marisa breathed, "Amazing... Alice is.... so... skilled."

Alice smiled, tasting the fruits of her labor as she stuck one of her sticky fingers into her mouth. "Glad you liked it~" she replied, savoring the taste. It was bitter, but sweet... mmm... She was enjoying this so much, enjoying it with Marisa, she had brought Marisa so much pleasure, yet she still wanted so much for herself...

As Marisa seemed to recover a bit more, Alice unwrapped the lace ribbon tied around her skirt, peeling it off her waist, letting it unravel under her, and exposing her full nude figure to the witch. Continuing to suck on her fingers, she asked pleadingly, "Marisa... taste me as well..."

Marisa couldn't help but stare at Alice's slender figure, entranced by her curves, her supple body. She nodded, drawn over Alice once more to ravish her, feeling a second wind coming. Sliding on top of her, she exhaled hot, ragged breaths down the puppeteer's neck, causing the puppeteer's face to redden once more as the witch dove in, locking her lips onto Alice's neck, giving it a kiss that made Alice squirm. She then moved her head down, trailing kisses across her neck, between her shoulder blades. Soon she was jumping directly onto the puppeteer's larger breasts, kissing them, and sucking her nipple, teasing it with her tongue. Alice wriggled and moaned as her weak point is once again attacked.  
Satisfied by the reaction, Marisa continued moving down, moving the constant smooches over her belly, giving extra attention again to her navel, making Alice wriggle some more as she poked her tongue into it. Then she finally moved down her waist, having shifted herself completely under Alice now as she admired her glistening flower up close. She breathed in the strong scent of sweat and lust.

"Ahh..." Marisa hummed. "Looks delicious..." Without more hesitation, she began eagerly licking it, causing Alice to jolt once more as her moans began anew, yet awaiting more. Marisa licked at the flower earnestly, running her tongue up and down, and flicking it at her hot button as she reached the top, before pushing her tongue between the petals, and then repeating again, over and over, driving Alice crazy. But soon, she found she was still unsatisfied. She moved her hands in, grabbing at the petals with her thumbs, pulling them apart as she exposed the soft, pink flesh within. Alice blushed even more miserably. Marisa lapped at the new opening, tasting the sap that leaked out, as Alice writhed over her, brought to greater heights than before.  
The taste of her juices were so good, they almost seemed addicting. Marisa feverishly moved her head deeper into Alice's legs, pushing her tongue deep inside, wriggling it to generate more juice from Alice to taste. Even more powerfully, though, she could feel a burning sensation between her own legs once more, pulsing and demanding more attention.

Marisa finally mustered the willpower to tear her face from Alice's inner thigh, both gasping for breath as the witch forced a short break in the action. Their eyes meet, but Marisa looks almost possessed, eyes unfocused as she seemed lost in arousal. At once, Marisa started to tear off her skirt, yanking the bow holding the back together and peeling it from herself, throwing it haphazardly behind her onto a chair with such force the chair wobbled in protest. The witch's chest heaved with anticipation, her womanhood dripping.

"This place... wants a taste too! Alice... let's feel good together!" Marisa exclaimed, burning with lust.

"Marisa... yes!" Alice vigorously agreed. "I want it...! I want you...!" She could think of nothing more than to go all the way now, her desire insatiable.

Marisa wasted no more time after the confirmation, straddling over Alice's waist, spreading her legs and hooking one leg under one of the puppeteer's. Alice reached out to grab one of Marisa's hands as Marisa moved in, locking their fingers together, and both gasped joyously in unison as their flowers touched together.  
They stopped to look into each others eyes, savoring the moment. Around them, the stuffy, dusty, and cramped room around them doesn't exist, nor the haphazard piles of clutter lining the walls. The only thing each magician could see is the other one, beautiful and nude, and connected at a base level. They both smiled, engrossed in their passion for each other, as words were exchanged unspoken between them.

Slowly, Marisa began to move, rubbing their petals against one another, sending steady jolts of pleasure into their minds. Each movement created more sparks between them, increasing the connection they shared, giving it more meaning. They couldn't take their eyes off each other now as they moved, steadily increasing the pace little by little, with Marisa and Alice both moving in unison. Their breathing began to quicken, their bodies could feel fireworks going off where they joined together.

Marisa was completely lost in Alice's eyes as they moved, drawn more and more into them, unable to escape. The pleasure between them was rising, but something about it was different now. She could sense new feelings grow as they slowly built towards their climax. Her heart was racing faster than ever now, and she felt a deep craving building that was still unsatisfied. Holding her hand, sharing their most private places with each other, satisfying carnal desires. She could feel herself move closer to Alice's body as her rhythm increased, their faces gravitating towards each other, and the grip they shared with their hands tightening. The place on their flowers where they rubbed slowly moved upwards as Marisa's body moved closer to Alice, slowly moving towards their most sensitive spot. They were making beautiful love.

Love. That was the word that had finally escaped her until this moment, the feeling she craved, which was welling up inside her. Her face moved so close to Alice now, her blue eyes so large and beautiful, so entrancing. She could feel Alice's fast, hot breaths mingle with hers, and she could hear words escaping from her mouth as they neared the end. "Alice, I love you!" she cried out, confessing what she had wanted to say all along.

Alice couldn't help but feel the same now, staring into Marisa's dazzling yellow eyes. "Marisa, I love you too!" she reciprocated. She felt completely connected with the witchl. The feelings she wanted to deny before couldn't be ignored, and couldn't be stopped. She loved Marisa as well, despite their differences.

Finally, their bodies had gotten so close now that their love buttons had begun to touch, grinding against each other and sending their feelings spiraling out of control, quickly building towards climax.  
"Alice, I'm coming!"  
"I can feel it too, Marisa!"  
They cried out together in joy as their backs arched, their toes curled, and passion burst between them like a bolt of lightning. their hands clamped together as hard as they could squeeze. They continued to move together, generating as much electricity as they could, until they could finally take no more. Marisa collapsed on top of Alice, exhausted and sweaty. Her heart was thundering like a drum, and she almost couldn't breathe fast enough to get the air she needed. It felt like she was in a sauna as she lied on top of Alice. Slowly, though, she turned her head, and found herself looking into Alice's eyes again as everything began to slow down. "That was amazing..." Marisa breathed, having gotten everything she had wanted, and more.

Alice nodded in agreement, feeling worn down after all that. The witch was heavy on top of her, but soft and warm. It felt good like this, and she didn't want Marisa to move away from her now. "Marisa, I love you so much..." she whispered again, her gasps for air shallow.

"I love you as well, Alice." Marisa replied, bringing their clasped hands close to their heads, unwilling to let go of the puppeteer. "Let's just lie like this... for awhile..." she whispered, moving her lips close.

Alice closed her eyes, answering, "The floor is hard, but I don't mind resting like this for a bit... with you..." before meeting with her lips, and sharing a long, slow kiss together. Their energy had run out as they slowly began to drift away, falling asleep in a shared embrace.


End file.
